Explorations in lesser-known cracks and crevices of the counterculture.

Eight Great Heroes of Cannabis

Zoroaster circa 600 BC This Iranian prophet may have been among the earliest magician/astrologers. He also popularized the drinking of the sacred Haoma, a plant that grew wild along the riverbanks and was mixed with milk to achieve psychoactive results. Today, many informed scholars would admit this plant was cannabis, although traditionalists still dispute the considerable evidence. The three kings visiting the birth of Jesus were Zoroastrian priests, and would have been bringing cannabis, not gold, to the ceremonies.

Moses circa 500 BC According to the Torah, Mount Sinai was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and a fire burned at its peak. It was here that Moses discovered the burning bush, which was undoubtedly cannabis. After inhaling the smoke, Moses was convinced he heard the voice of God. Unfortunately, after the Roman Empire seized control of Christianity, all references to cannabis were removed from the Bible, and though the story of the burning bush remained, its true identity was obscured. The mana that saved the tribe during famine was actually immature cannabis seeds, correctly described as looking like “tiny, white, coriander seeds.”

Gautama Buddha circa 486 BC The founder of “The Middle Way” which avoids the extremes of behavior that the east has become famous for, Buddha lived for years on cannabis leaves and seeds while meditating on the true nature of enlightenment. In the Tara Tantra, Buddha claims cannabis is “essential to ecstasy,” something that is now a scientifically-proven fact. Buddha, by the way, was probably Scythian. Elements of many religions may have been seeped into the Jewish tradition to construct Christianity.

Herotodus circa 440 BC The original Greek historian may never have imbibed cannabis in any form, but he did write the only surviving accounts of the history of the Scythians (aka Sakas), who were named after the tool they devised to help them harvest their beloved cannabis crop. The Sakas were nomadic people who roamed from Europe to the Far East, spreading cannabis seeds wherever they traveled. They began by inhaling cannabis smoke in small tipis, but eventually learned to mix the flowers with hot milk to make Soma or Hoama. Without the efforts of Herotodus, little would be known about this early stoner culture. They likely domesticated the first horses, invented the wheel and the covered wagon, created the Silk Trail to China, and spread cannabis and hemp wherever they went. Pythagoras soon became the first Greek to visit Persia and study with Zoroastrian magicians.

Jesus circa 1 AD Jesus was unknown in his lifetime, so he’s most likely a mythic creation, unlike John the Baptist and James the Just, who have come down as his cousin and brother. The Christian movement involved a return to the use of a holy anointing oil employed to inspire early Jewish leaders and guide them on a sacred path, a practice they learned and likely adopted from Zoroastrians, who picked it up from Scythians. “Christ” means “anointed” in Greek, and applied to anyone wearing the oil. Whether it was by healing glaucoma or multiple sclerosis, the Christian miracles were the miracles of cannabis. The truth about Jesus was not revealed until the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the only remaining texts from the period not corrupted by Roman influence. Christians were vegetarians who objected to animal sacrifice in the Temple. After James created the Christian Church, unifying elements of many known religions, the Romans killed him and scattered his followers to the wind.

Mani, circa 216-274 AD The most overlooked figure in history and the key to understanding how and why the eradication of cannabis from recorded history took place. Born into a Christian sect in Persia, Mani was widely considered the greatest avatar of his time, a Buddha in India, Zoroastrian priest in Iran, Christian prophet in Judea, and significant influence on spirituality in Greece, Italy and Africa. He was the greatest painter, poet, magician and healer of his time. Unique temples were constructed by his followers in China, India, Persia, Africa and Europe, and each one contained a copy of his own bible written in a unique calligraphy. Mani employed cannabis oil as his primary medicine and attempted to unite all religion to end war, which he considered the greatest evil on earth. Mani believed Jesus was the light of the moon and Jehovah the light of the sun. He was banished from Persia and lured back under false pretenses, and then tortured, skinned alive, decapitated and put on display above the city gates as a warning to anyone who’d seek to bring peace on earth. His murder served to make him more famous and when his religion (Manichaeism) began making significant inroads among Rome’s legionnaires, Constantine created his own version of Christianity, while systematically destroying Mani’s temples and murdering all his followers. Not a single poem, painting, nor copy of his bible survived.

Jean Fumeux circa 1340 After the Roman Empire established a monopoly on religion throughout Europe, it took a long time before any stoner culture was allowed to emerge, so persecuted was the use of cannabis throughout the Christian empire. But in France and Northern Italy, a creative band of eccentrics began calling themselves “The Society of Smokers” and they were devoted to writing songs that celebrated their love of hashish. The poet Eustace Deschamps was a leading member of the society. These smokers were undoubtedly persecuted by the Catholic Church, which wanted a monopoly on written music. Soon all the midwives of Europe (who used cannabis as a medicine) would be killed as witches and possession of cannabis would be considered proof of witchcraft.

Francois Rabelais circa 1500 Educated as a monk, Rabelais eventually became one of the leading doctors and alchemists of his time. Aleister Crowley would take much from his work, including “Do What Thou Wilt.” Because of the intense persecutions of the Catholic Church, Rabelais had to hide most of his knowledge and beliefs in allegories and fictionalized fantasies. At the time one could not even speak the word “cannabis,” as it was forbidden to mention the plant, even though hemp rope and cloth were ubiquitous throughout Europe. Rabelais got around this ban by referring to the plant as “the Herb Pantagruelion.” So important was this plant that Rabelais named the hero of his book, Pantagruel. At the end of his life, however, he finally revealed what must have been obvious to many: “the good Pantagruel…is hemp.”

6 thoughts on “Eight Great Heroes of Cannabis”

the facts just don’t support the claims, especially w/Moses and Jesus. as an ordained minister with 9+ years of formal education in theology to including Jewish/Christian history, honestly this is based upon nothing. and the Romans didn’t destroy the ancient Jewish texts. i don’t where u got this stuff but whoever told u this had been doing some acid or maybe shrooms. ❤

That’s right Chuck, when confronted with historical evidence that upsets your world view, just brand the messenger as delusional. First, check out the words “kaneh bosem,” which, according to the Bible, is the main ingredient of the Holy Anointing Oil. According to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, author of the well-respected “Living Torah,” this is most likely cannabis. But the first historian to point this out was Sula Benet in Early Diffusion and Folk Uses of Hemp (1967). Many historians now believe Jesus Christ (“Christ” simply means “anointed”) represented a return to the cannabis oil, and that is how he healed the blind (glacoma) and the lame (MS). The medicinal benefits of cannabis with these two conditions is now a scientific fact. The biggest breakthrough in this area occurred with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These were original texts not tampered with by the Roman Empire. This tampering began with the Council of Nicaea, which was an attempt to enforce a consensus on Christian beliefs. Many Christians were using cannabis as a sacrament and Constantine wanted to sever the church’s relationship with the plant. Chris Bennett has written extensively on this matter. I hope this helps you open your eyes. The evidence is out there when you are ready to accept the truth.

I’d found Les Fumeurs on a music page a while back…hadn’t known about Deschamps. Says he wrote about Les Fumeurs in something called Charte des fumeux (1368) but can’t find that online. Was there really a person named Jean Fumeux? I think Les Fumeurs were most likely smoking opium or cannabis, procured from Arabic trade routes or through Spain. Spain and parts of Southern France were occupied by the Arabic Moors from A.D. 711 – 1492.

If you want heroines as well, add the visionary nun Hildegarde von Bingen (wrote about hemp’s anti-emetic effects in the 12th century) and Joan of Arc (was accused of using mandrake and other witching herbs, 1431). You also missed Haydar, Sufi discoverer of cannabis (1155-1221).

That’s his stage name, sort of like saying Jean Toker. Almost all existence has been wiped away or swept into the Vatican library. It was certainly cannabis, and not opium, because cannabis manifests music, while opium manifests dreams.